Motor-truck.



` Gt B, FRANGS & Br'H. Sh/HTH.'

MOTOR TRUGK.

APLIQATION FILED 11,111.13, 1911. 1 1,942,335., v Patented Oct. 22, 19112.

' a SHEETS-s113512 1,

G. B. FRANCS & B, H. SMITH.

MOTOR TRUCK.

APPLICATION FIIBED MAR.13, 1911. I Lyf Patented 0013.22, 12H2.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Gl B, FRANCIS L B. H. SMTH. MOTQR TRUCK.

w APPLIUATIONIILBD MAR. 1s, 1911. -,m Patented een. 22, 1912.

s SHBETS-SHBET s.

entren sirenas resiente oratori;

GEORGE B. FRANcrs AND @Reason H. swam. es NEW YORK, N. Y., Asszetnensmo wEsTINGHoUsE, CHURCH, HERR e comme?, oy NEW Yom; N. Y., A comunemente 0F NEW JERSEY,

monroe-TRUCK.

1,042,335, Speciteation of Letters Patent.

Application tiled Marcela, 19H, Serial Efo. 613,97

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it. known that we, Gnomi; B. FRANCIS and llnoNsoN Il. SMITH, citizens of the United States, resid ing. respeetively,'at New York-eity, eonnty ot New York, and State of New York, .and New York city, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MOto1 -'I`rUeks. fully described and represented in the following; specification and the aeeompanying` drawings,l forming a part of the same. Y

This invention relates to a motor trnelt intended primarily for handling miscellaneous parkagge freight. Such freightis handled at the present. time in onthound and inbodiment of the invention in the preferred igure l is a front ele- Fig. 2 is a side eleva- Y Fig. 4 is a seef l rear portions of the "f in said drawings, F vation of the truck.

3 is a plan view tion of the central an( tru'ek taken on line 4 hroken sectional vien Figs. 3 and 4 w an enlarged-det taken on line ith parts omitted, Fig.' 6 is ail sectional view on line (3g A' showing one of the roller monnt-` 7 a sin'iilar detail View tak and showing one end of. supporting frame with its 'and adjaeent parts.` Fig. -8 is70l` front part ot'- the central roller lifting devif'e an enlarged p the maehine with lan view of the hound freight houses mostly hy means of' the ort'iinary small hand truek having' running,r wheels at onel end and a handle hy which it is Isupported and operated hy the freight handler at the other end. (lyi'frhead or telpher carryingr systems have also heen tried to some extent, for handling this Class ot' freight in inhound andonthound holises, hut sueh systems are expensive to install, require speeial eonstiruetion of the freight houses or rearrangenent of present houses, and are .imited and inflexihle in operation and open to other ohjeetions. 'l`he system of using hand truelts has the advantage of greatl lex'ihility. hut is expensive and its eapaeity is limited.

The ohjeet; of the present' invention is primarily to provide a motor truek intended and espeeially adapted t'or use in handling package freight. and ot stu-h .size and fleneral rharatder as to enahle it to he used' in plaee ot' the present heno trlu'ks, and which, though of a size and havingr sneh freedom of movement and maneuvering,r as to enable it to he used wherever the present hand trunk may he used, will. hy reason of its grinder f-apzu-ity and speed. or liveliness of movement. nmterially iuerease the eapaeity the platform and other to show the steering wheels I eonneetions. lf

parts removed and controlling tion taken on line E) of l i: wheel shown in i Fig. l() is a se ig. f) is aseoig. 8'out with the ts straight running,Y etion taken on line R, showing the steering wheel in g position. Fig. 'll is an seetion on line ll of Fig. rringto the drawings, the hody maehin*l as4 shown consists of a form -ea rr'vi n gg fr enlarged detail ame springanounted on two rear and two fronti running wheels. Tl front and rear portions of the raised, the rear the; power plant drivinglr wheels ll to provide elear lf3 and to areonnuodate t rlhefeentral porti( forni is hungr low hetw to stand close to -the for carryingr the hea vi raised portions of the nsed for 'earlving the lighter rlhe design is sueh that, the wh .area is available for loading'. ienee, in loading:

platform are portion 1() to'accommodate and driving.;r frear and the ,l and the front portion l2 ante for thesteering wheelshe steeringF eonneein l5 of the platf een the end portions vfloor and is intended er paeltagres. while the ole -platform .For convenand unloading hea vy of a freight'. terminal without'. the neeessity ages. the Central or low portion of the provided with a system of hle rollers 16 mounted to tr tending' longitudin Whieh`r daringr tra depressed to allow on the platfor raised as her heavy articles to or oit the platform in t urn on axes exally of the truelc. and` nsit, are interuled to he the load to resti directly m, hut. are quit-.klv and easily einafter deser-ihed to permit s to he rolled on he direction crosshe accompanying drawings show an erre v Wise of the machine.

and include two inner channel bars or beams 21, two intermediate channel beams 22, and` two outer lor side angle bar beams 23. These beams are connected .at the front end ofthe central platform by a transverse channel bar 25' which dips from the sidey beams toward the center to pass under the beams 21. The angle bars forming `the side beams 23 extend forward beyond the cross iece 25 and turn inward to connect across the front of the truck forward of the steering wheels to form a lower front cross piece 26. The beams 22 end at the cross piece 25 to' leave a free turning space for the steering wheels, but the inner beams 21 extend forward to connect with the cross piece 26. To give space'forthe steerin connections, the front ends of the beams y 1 are raised by having, in the constructionxsliown, the channel bars forming the main portions of theV beams end short of the front of the machine and continued by short channel bars 21a secured to the main channel bars by plates 27. A vertical frame 28 extends above, thefront platform at the extreme front of the truck bof. y and carriesl the control handles;

The front platform iooring is supported by suitable framing .and the space beneath the tlooringiis inclosed downto the side bars 23 and cross piece 26 by side plating, forming a protecting housing for the steering wheels e -and steering connections.

. vAt'the rear end rof the central platform,

the platform beams are connected by upper and lower transverse channel beams 30, the

inner lplatform beams and the 'outer plat forxnbeams ending'at these cross beams and the intermediate platform beams 22 extend- Aingfb'etween and to the rear of the beams 30 and-being connected by upwardly extending plates -31V tomtliq forward ends of channel beams. 32 which carry the depending pedestals33 for the drivingwheel axle beam 34 and support the rear housingvof'the truck aud the inclosed -poxver plant and driving connections.' .The front of the rear ,plat` form structure .and the sides and back above the wheels are inclosed by metal plating.

'lhel truck shown by the drawings is clectriv callydriven, the power plant consisting of a suitable storage battery set beneath the rear platform flooring on` supporting bars .36 carried by the beams 32and an electricmotor 37 hung from the beams 32 beneath the battery. and geared direct to a counter shaft 38 provided withf'the usual differential -A gear and connected at each end with the as indicated in Fig. 2.'

driving wheels throngh'sprocket'chains The-rear latforrn flooring visfmadc removable so' thatthebati` extending arm 51 j 1.

are connected by 'a cross link 52, the ends of vmit tery boitesA may be readily lifted out and placed in position.

The steering wheels 13 are knucklejointed to the front axle beam 40, the hub of each wheel being mounted to turn on a spin dle 41 carried by a vertical sleeve or knuckle piece 42 which enters between projections 43 extending from the end of the axle beam l andis pivotally connectedr thereto by aknuckle m44. To afford a strong com! pact sprlng connection between the axle beam' 40 and the body of the truck, and to' y permit the wheels to swing through a long arc, the beam has its ends just' inside the knuckle joints formed to provide a space or 'pocketlbetween vertical side walls 45 to receive hollow guide blocks 46 secured to the channel beamsl 21 and `formed 'each with 'a .springseat' 47 for the upper end of a coiled'. spring v48, the lower end of which -rests in la' seat on the bottom of the axle beam between the sidefwalls 45. Each of the guide blocks f has vertical' sides guiding faces to co-act with the vertical' guiding facesfof the side walls 45 of the 4axle 9g) beam, and the guide blocks also have shoulf' v y ders 49 forming vertical outwardly facing guide faces tocoact with the inwardly facing 'edges or. faces of the side walls 45 of the axle beam. :Eachl guide block isv also formed Q5 with an 'ii-, 'ardly;,facing lower guiding facey i,v a corresponding guiding as shown in Fig. 9..

'hijs be securely guided The 'axle beams 'and held against turning during the relative 100v vertical movement between the axle beam and wheels andthe vtruck fi-ame.'

pEach" knuckle piece 42 carries a loi'wardlyand the two'knuckle arms the arms being turned outward so tha the radial lines from thevertical axes a utf,j l which the wheels swivel to the point of' pivsotal 4connection4 between the arms and Ylink 52 will slant outwardly relatively to theA 411(1) plane of rotation to the wheels, in the cus-- tomary manner, so that when the wheels are swung on their 'knuckle joints from; the I straight position the inner wheel l will be given the greater movement and the wheels 115.

will always stand with their axesjn lines converging to a common point in the line of the axis of rotation of the rear wheels. The wheels are controlled for steering'through a` link 53 connected at one end to the link 52 120 and at the other end'to a horizontalrack 54 mounted to move ina guide way 55 secured` to the under side of the beam ends21.. The rack is reciprocated by means of a pinion 56 'on the lower end of a Vertical shaft 57 which 125 extends upward within the central post of the front frame 28 and carries at its upper. f end a steering arm and handle 58. The? frame 28 also carries av brake handle 60"l ,which will be connected to operate suitable. 33?, d: I,

forming front and vrear Y brake mechanism, and a. motor controller' handle 61. A y

The depressihle rollers 1G of the central low platform are mounted tov project when elevated through openings in theplattorm flooring. In order to provide for the raising and lowering of these rollers Without unduly increasing the thickness ot the platorni and thereby increasing the height of the platform flooring, the rollers arc divided into sets and eaehset is carried hva trame mounted to move vertieall)7 between'two of the platform beams. As shown in the drawt ings, tive such' roller carrying frames are Wedge carrier.

provided. The two outer frames T0 and 71 are formed hylnverted channel bars extend ing the length ofthe platform and each provided at each end with a supporting block 72. The other three roller carrying frames 75, 76 and 77 are each formed of two channel bars set lwith their recessed sides tat-ing and connected at their ends by supportingfbloeks 78. The inner roller frames 75, 76 and 7 7 have their channel bars set `such distance apart as to tit easily hetween and to be guided in their upward and downward movement, by the platform beams between which they are placed. and the outer frames and 7l are similarly guided between the platform beams QQ and guide plates l dependingf from the side bars or beams 23 of the platform. l

For supporting and raising and loweringA the roller earrying tramest there provided at each end of the low central platform an endvvise movahle har Fl() which is mounted to slide on a way formed bv a bar F51. hung beneath the platform beams at thel end of the platform lrvllrackets Si). The hars f() earrv or have forined thereon a number of inclined supports or wtztlgt@y Q23, om`x for each of the roller carrying' trames7 and on which the corrcspondeine'lv inclined under faccey ot'A the suj'iporting hloi-lts T2 and '(8 rest. The

wedge carriers or bars SU are reciproeated endwise b v moans ol.'l a handle i5 extending upward through a hole in the rear platform flooringr at one side ot the machine t'rom a lever ST3 which connected bv a link 8T with a lever 9S, which in turn connected by a Vertical linlt' Sl? with om` arm ol' a bellajranlt lever Wl the other arm ot which is connected by' a horizontalljiv extending linltr fll with a pin or arm projecting from the rear-most The bell crank' il() tastI on a recit sltatt U2 which extends longitudinallpv of the machine in the rect-ss ot one of the plattorn'i beams and carrie at the front of the platform an arm fll which is eminented hv a l'iorixontallhv (-:ttrnrlingf linl.' 94 with a piii or stud projecting trom the forward wedge carrier. ll'Y hen the ham-lle 85 is raised to lift the lever HG to the position Showrin ligs. 4 and 5f the wedge-carrier5 are, through the Connections just described,

l moved to the position shown in Fig. 5' to lift l the roller trames and cause the rollers to l lproject slightly above the platform flooring, l and when the handle is pushed downward l the wedge carriers are drawn back to the right in. Il'ig. 5, therel'rv'.moving the wedges to pcrmltthe roller frames, to drop to lower i the rollers below the surface of the platform flooring. The rollers may be mounted on the vroller trames in an)v suitable manner.

s shown in Fig. 4 and by the detailed View )Fig- 6, thev rollers carried bythc inner frames 75, 76 and 77 are mounted in bearing' hloelts 95 which arc set on the lower flanges ot the channel hars of the trames and are provided with halt' hearings in which the roller spindles are set. The rollers carried by the outer frames T() and 7l are similarly mounted ,insmall bearing hloelts ill; secured on the upper side of the channel hars of these frames shown in Fig. 11. lVhat is claimed 4is:- v

1. ,A motor truck havingr aV low-hung:r central loadearrying platform, a front load carrying platform surmounting a housing,r for the steering wheels and Lsteering connections, and a rear load-carrying platform s:u'inountinga housing;r forthe driving wheels and power plant, the height ot' the t'ronl' platform being intermediate that of the ccntral and rear plat-torxns,aml the central platform being provided with dcprcss'illlle platform rollers mounted to turn on axes eX- tending longitudinally of the truck.

ln a motor truck, thecombination with to the axle beam by knuckle joints', bearing blocks mounted on the truclt trame having lront and rear and side bearing?r faces, pockets formed in the axle beam` on the inner side ot` the knuckle joints to receive said bearing' blocks. trout. rcarlmd v.si/le lufarimgy tacos on thc axley beam to engage the corresponding 'tacos on the bearing"blocks, and l supportingr springs in the axle beam pockets lbctwecn the bearing: blocks and the axle l beam.

i Il. ln a motor truck` the continuation with l an axle hearn, ot' steering: wheelsl connected to the axle heam buv knuckle Ajoints. bearingr blot-ks mounted on the truck trame, pockets Formed in the axle beam on thc linner side Is of the ltnucltle joints to receive saidbcaring blocks, the bearing` blocks and lheaxlc beam l having' reacting bearing` lates for permit-y l innigI illatl'orm, an elevated latt`orn1 over the steering' Vwheels7 and an elevated rear platform over the driving wheels and power plant, and having a main frame comprising an axle beam, of steering wheelsfconnccted p inner beams,

piece and extending cross piece to sup and the other said platform beams ieee and extending rearat the front cross p 10 ward of the Arear cross piece rear platform and the power 5. A motor truck having hung platform, an elevated the steering wheels, 15v form over the driving two ending to support the plant.

a central low platform over and an elevated platwheels and power plant, and having a main frame comprising two inner central platform beams, two outer central platform beams and two intermediate central platform beams,

and transverse said said intermediate plat-form beams beams at each end ofthe central platform, ending at the forward transverse beam and extending rearward of the` rear transversec be'am to support the rear platform and power plant, and the inner platform beams and the outer platform Abeams ending at the reartransverse beam and extending forwardbeyond the forward transverse beam to support the front platform and being connected, by a front cross piece.

In testimony whereof, set our hands, in the presence we have l hereunto ofi two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE B. FRANCIS. BRONSON H. SMITH. Witnesses:

W. L. MURRAY, A. L. KENT. 

